Carolus Lwanga was a martyr from Uganda.
He was murdered along with his companions on 27 May 1886.
Invitation
May I take this opportunity to draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation aims to share with you the joy
of the Gospel. Everyone, without exception,
can experience that joy by opening their heart
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day.
CONSIDERATION
The Second Letter to Timothy (like the First Letter and the Letter to Titus) belongs to the pastoral letters and is attributed to Paul. This letter differs from the two mentioned above, as Paul is in prison and offers words of encouragement to Timothy from there. “I know whom I have believed” is one of the most beautiful phrases in this letter, and Psalm 123 is a fitting echo.
FIRST READING 2 Tim. 1, 1–3, 6–12
Do not neglect to fan into flame the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands.
The beginning of the second letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to
Timothy
From Paul,
an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
according to the promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus,
to Timothy,
his beloved child.
Grace, mercy and peace to you,
from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!
It is with gratitude towards God,
whom I, like my ancestors,
seek to serve with a clear conscience,
ceaselessly, day and night.
Do not neglect to fan into flame the gift of God’s grace,
which is within you through the laying on of my hands.
For God,
has not given us a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of power, love and self-control.
Do not, therefore, be ashamed to bear witness to our Lord.
Nor be ashamed of me, his prisoner.
Share in suffering for the gospel
by the power of God, who has saved us
and called us with a holy calling,
not because of our own merits
but according to the free choice of his grace.
His grace,
granted to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour,
Christ Jesus,
who has destroyed death
and brought to light the life that is imperishable through the Gospel.
Of this Gospel
I have been appointed a herald, an apostle and a teacher.
That is why I must also endure this new trial,
but I am not ashamed of it,
for I know Whom I have placed my trust in,
and I am convinced that He is able
to keep what has been entrusted to me unblemished
until the great day.
INTERLUDIUM Ps . 123(122), 1-2a, 2bcd
To You, Lord, I lift up my eyes.
To You, Lord, I lift up my eyes,
to You who dwell in heaven.
As the eye of a servant,
fixed on the hand of his master.
As the eye of a maid,
fixed on her mistress;
so our eyes are fixed on the Lord our God
until He takes notice of us.
ALLELUIA 2 Tim. 1:10b
Alleluia.
Our Saviour Christ Jesus has destroyed death,
and brought to light eternal life
through the Gospel.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mc 12:18-27
God is not the God of the dead but of the living.
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Mark
In those days, some Sadducees came to Jesus;
they hold that there is no resurrection.
They therefore put the following question to him:
“Teacher, we have read in the Law of Moses:
If a man’s brother dies
and leaves a wife but no children,
then his brother must marry her
to raise up offspring for him.
“Now there were seven brothers.
“The first took a wife
but left no children when he died.
“Then the second took her,
but he too died childless.
“So it was with the third; in short,
none of the seven left any children.
“Finally, the woman herself died.
“At the resurrection, when they rise,
whose wife will she be?
“For all seven had her as their wife.”
Jesus replied:
“Are you not mistaken,
precisely because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?
“When people rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but are like angels in heaven.
“And as for the dead,
have you not read in the book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush,
how God said to him:
‘I am the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’?
“He is not the God of the dead but of the living.
“You are greatly mistaken.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
Laudato Si
Encyclical of
Pope Francis
On Care for Our Common Home
135. There is no doubt that constant vigilance is required to ensure that all the ethical aspects involved are taken into account. For this reason, it is necessary to ensure a scientific and social debate that is responsible and broad-based, capable of taking all available information into account and calling a spade a spade.
Sometimes the full range of information is not brought to the table, but is instead selected according to one’s own interests, whether political, economic or ideological. This makes it difficult to develop a balanced and prudent judgement on the various issues, whilst keeping in mind all the variables at play. It is essential to have the opportunity for discussion where those who feel directly or indirectly affected in any way (farmers, consumers,
authorities, scientists, seed producers, the population living in the vicinity of the treated fields and others) can engage in debate and set out their concerns, or have access to comprehensive and reliable information in order to make decisions aimed at the present and future common good. The
issue of genetically modified crops (GMOs) is complex in nature and requires that it be examined in all its aspects. This calls for a major effort to fund independent and interdisciplinary research across various disciplines that can shed new light on the matter.
To be continued
Every day at 7 am
The Bible text in this edition is taken fromThe New Bible Translation,
©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Reflections from Liturgical Suggestions for Weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official Dutch translation